Looking for source

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Xar
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Looking for source

Unread post by Xar »

I found this on my hard drive. I had saved this from years ago, but I don't know where it came from. Does anyone remember seeing the Vanguard before?

Spoiler:
Vanguard History

In the late 1800's a group of settlers destined for a plot of land on the coast of California encountered an unusually vicious pack of enormous wolves. Riding with the settlers was a group of hardened warriors, men trained to fight and kill in the defense of their lives.

This group, five in number, fought the wolves, driving the pack off into the night. In gratitude, and with the motive of securing a defensive force, the settlers asked the gunmen to join them. With this request, the Vanguard is formed, a force that would stand the test of time and hold against all threats.

The Vanguard would be tested time and time again, in the beginning against the feared Black Pack, during their repeated attacks over the preceding 60 years. In 1920 the first recognized Augment hero joins the ranks of the Vanguard. Lieutenant Jack Ross, of the U.S. Navy, joins the team during a brutal labor conflict. Ross quells a potential riot, an impending brawl between longshoremen and Vanguard militia members. Lt. Ross eventually rose in authority within the Vanguard to become its leader.

In 1937, the next man to be recognized as leader of the Vanguard joined the team. Michael "Thinker" McQueen, young genius and technological master joined the team, assigned by the courts as a means to direct his enthusiasm and intellect into something beyond pranks and petty crime.

Thinker would be an invaluable member, equipping the team with all manner of high-tech tools. In 1939, Thinker became leader of the Vanguard in the worst possible time, when the rest of the Vanguard team was killed in the explosion of an experimental bomb aimed at the ships of the U.S. Navy. In the aftermath of the loss of the Vanguard team, Thinker announced his intention to rebuild the team and carry on the tradition of the Vanguard.

Thinker rebuilt the team and, true to his word, carried on as the Vanguard had done before. In 1946 another tragedy befell the Vanguard, as an unexplainable summer storm unleashed hundreds of hideous monsters on Crescent City, through holes in the sky. The Vanguard, now numbering more Augments than ever before, fought these monsters, trying to drive them back to where they came from.

This assault of creatures included the return of the feared Black Pack, as well as a number of winged beasts and other monsters that even now are too hideous to describe. The Vanguard fought these monsters off as valiantly as their predecessors fought the Black Pack in the past. Unfortunately, we don't know what went wrong. The monsters vanished as quickly as they appeared and apparently they took the Vanguard with them. The only member of the Vanguard to remain was Slicker, who had been injured by the Black Pack and was being tended to when the mystery storm ended.

Slicker rebuilt the team, recruiting the younger student of the missing Vanguard members, starting a tradition that continues to the most recent incarnation of the team. This new Vanguard did not have an easy time of it, trying to live up to the reputation of the team formed by "Thinker" McQueen, with Slicker trying to fill some very large shoes as leader.

After some slow starts and initial public distrust, the team went on to great feats and earned as revered a reputation as the previous team. The Vanguard dealt with the more mundane tasks of an Augment hero team; master criminals attempting to dominate the populace, villains on robbery and violence sprees and attempting to better the condition of the city.

Many Vanguard members came and went as the years passed but all of them held true to the principles of the team, the defense of Crescent City and its citizens.

In 1969, it was an entirely different team from the one the Slicker built, that was forced to face the threat of The Anarchy Plague. For 2 weeks ordinary citizens led extraordinary lives, as a wave of insanity washed over the populace. Normal men and women would display abnormal behavior, first petty arguments and violence, escalating into full-blown citywide riots. The Vanguard, unaffected by the contagious insanity, did everything they could quell the violence but in the end they were overcome, not by the madness but the maddened people. Standing as the last line of defense for the Ross Memorial Hospital, the Vanguard fell under the attack of the rampaging mob, but they were able to turn the attackers away.

Of all members, only Scilent survived. He was on the hunt for the cause of disturbance. Soon after the fall of his teammates, Scilent found and was able to stop the cause of the Plague. Scilent then inherited the mantle of leader and the task of rebuilding the team fell to him.

Scilent did an excellent job in forming the next incarnation of the Vanguard. He led his team to great victories over notorious and brutal criminals, as well as being responsible for the construction of the hidden Vanguard base and overseeing the building of the Vanguard Island Memorial Park. Scilent led his team until the onset of Typhoon Revenge, an attack by the Augment son of the scientist responsible for the deaths of the Vanguard team led by Jack Ross. During the conflict with Storm Dragon, half of the Vanguard team was sucked into the ocean and lost.

The remainder of the team, led by Scilent, worked on the shore to evacuate the citizens in the path of the incoming storm-born waves. While no citizens were killed during the storm, Scilent and Vanguard member Swiftness were lost when the waves struck. Two members of the Vanguard, Serial and Manic,were all that remained and they, like many sole Vanguard survivors before them, rebuilt the team.

Serial and Manic remained with the team, taking alternating terms as leader of the Vanguard, until the summer of 1982, when Serial, was forced to leave the team for health reasons. Manic remained, leading the team until 1989, when for reasons as yet unexplained, the entire team, excluding junior member "Sketch", vanished without a trace. Sketch became the team leader recruiting the students, sidekicks and protégés of the missing Vanguard members. To this day, 12 years later, Sketch has not explained the disappearance of his friends and colleagues. This is even more disturbing due to the repetition of that disappearance that has just recently occurred.

Sketch's Vanguard team more than lived up to the legacy they had been left by their predecessors. They defended the city with admirable intensity for almost 12 years, turning all threats, including the notorious Plutarch, Radium, the Society of Six, WOLF terrorists and even foiling a crime spree of the Masters of Speed. Their actions in Crescent City and even their brief foray into Century Station, after Bloody Monday, stand that incarnation of the team in great stead among the ranks of Augments across the nation.

In early April of 2001, Sketch again made the fateful announcement that the Vanguard was gone. This time there was no rebuilding process, as all members of the previous Vanguard had left students behind, trained to take their places.

And so Crescent City was introduced to the latest New Vanguard: B.A.C.U.P., Boost, Gabriel, Jade Hunter and M.A.X., and we wonder how long it will take for this team to drop the qualifier of "New" from their moniker and be accepted as true members of the oldest and most respected Augment team in North America.
~Xar~

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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by SpiritInterface »

Xar wrote:I found this on my hard drive. I had saved this from years ago, but I don't know where it came from. Does anyone remember seeing the Vanguard before?

Spoiler:
Vanguard History

In the late 1800's a group of settlers destined for a plot of land on the coast of California encountered an unusually vicious pack of enormous wolves. Riding with the settlers was a group of hardened warriors, men trained to fight and kill in the defense of their lives.

This group, five in number, fought the wolves, driving the pack off into the night. In gratitude, and with the motive of securing a defensive force, the settlers asked the gunmen to join them. With this request, the Vanguard is formed, a force that would stand the test of time and hold against all threats.

The Vanguard would be tested time and time again, in the beginning against the feared Black Pack, during their repeated attacks over the preceding 60 years. In 1920 the first recognized Augment hero joins the ranks of the Vanguard. Lieutenant Jack Ross, of the U.S. Navy, joins the team during a brutal labor conflict. Ross quells a potential riot, an impending brawl between longshoremen and Vanguard militia members. Lt. Ross eventually rose in authority within the Vanguard to become its leader.

In 1937, the next man to be recognized as leader of the Vanguard joined the team. Michael "Thinker" McQueen, young genius and technological master joined the team, assigned by the courts as a means to direct his enthusiasm and intellect into something beyond pranks and petty crime.

Thinker would be an invaluable member, equipping the team with all manner of high-tech tools. In 1939, Thinker became leader of the Vanguard in the worst possible time, when the rest of the Vanguard team was killed in the explosion of an experimental bomb aimed at the ships of the U.S. Navy. In the aftermath of the loss of the Vanguard team, Thinker announced his intention to rebuild the team and carry on the tradition of the Vanguard.

Thinker rebuilt the team and, true to his word, carried on as the Vanguard had done before. In 1946 another tragedy befell the Vanguard, as an unexplainable summer storm unleashed hundreds of hideous monsters on Crescent City, through holes in the sky. The Vanguard, now numbering more Augments than ever before, fought these monsters, trying to drive them back to where they came from.

This assault of creatures included the return of the feared Black Pack, as well as a number of winged beasts and other monsters that even now are too hideous to describe. The Vanguard fought these monsters off as valiantly as their predecessors fought the Black Pack in the past. Unfortunately, we don't know what went wrong. The monsters vanished as quickly as they appeared and apparently they took the Vanguard with them. The only member of the Vanguard to remain was Slicker, who had been injured by the Black Pack and was being tended to when the mystery storm ended.

Slicker rebuilt the team, recruiting the younger student of the missing Vanguard members, starting a tradition that continues to the most recent incarnation of the team. This new Vanguard did not have an easy time of it, trying to live up to the reputation of the team formed by "Thinker" McQueen, with Slicker trying to fill some very large shoes as leader.

After some slow starts and initial public distrust, the team went on to great feats and earned as revered a reputation as the previous team. The Vanguard dealt with the more mundane tasks of an Augment hero team; master criminals attempting to dominate the populace, villains on robbery and violence sprees and attempting to better the condition of the city.

Many Vanguard members came and went as the years passed but all of them held true to the principles of the team, the defense of Crescent City and its citizens.

In 1969, it was an entirely different team from the one the Slicker built, that was forced to face the threat of The Anarchy Plague. For 2 weeks ordinary citizens led extraordinary lives, as a wave of insanity washed over the populace. Normal men and women would display abnormal behavior, first petty arguments and violence, escalating into full-blown citywide riots. The Vanguard, unaffected by the contagious insanity, did everything they could quell the violence but in the end they were overcome, not by the madness but the maddened people. Standing as the last line of defense for the Ross Memorial Hospital, the Vanguard fell under the attack of the rampaging mob, but they were able to turn the attackers away.

Of all members, only Scilent survived. He was on the hunt for the cause of disturbance. Soon after the fall of his teammates, Scilent found and was able to stop the cause of the Plague. Scilent then inherited the mantle of leader and the task of rebuilding the team fell to him.

Scilent did an excellent job in forming the next incarnation of the Vanguard. He led his team to great victories over notorious and brutal criminals, as well as being responsible for the construction of the hidden Vanguard base and overseeing the building of the Vanguard Island Memorial Park. Scilent led his team until the onset of Typhoon Revenge, an attack by the Augment son of the scientist responsible for the deaths of the Vanguard team led by Jack Ross. During the conflict with Storm Dragon, half of the Vanguard team was sucked into the ocean and lost.

The remainder of the team, led by Scilent, worked on the shore to evacuate the citizens in the path of the incoming storm-born waves. While no citizens were killed during the storm, Scilent and Vanguard member Swiftness were lost when the waves struck. Two members of the Vanguard, Serial and Manic,were all that remained and they, like many sole Vanguard survivors before them, rebuilt the team.

Serial and Manic remained with the team, taking alternating terms as leader of the Vanguard, until the summer of 1982, when Serial, was forced to leave the team for health reasons. Manic remained, leading the team until 1989, when for reasons as yet unexplained, the entire team, excluding junior member "Sketch", vanished without a trace. Sketch became the team leader recruiting the students, sidekicks and protégés of the missing Vanguard members. To this day, 12 years later, Sketch has not explained the disappearance of his friends and colleagues. This is even more disturbing due to the repetition of that disappearance that has just recently occurred.

Sketch's Vanguard team more than lived up to the legacy they had been left by their predecessors. They defended the city with admirable intensity for almost 12 years, turning all threats, including the notorious Plutarch, Radium, the Society of Six, WOLF terrorists and even foiling a crime spree of the Masters of Speed. Their actions in Crescent City and even their brief foray into Century Station, after Bloody Monday, stand that incarnation of the team in great stead among the ranks of Augments across the nation.

In early April of 2001, Sketch again made the fateful announcement that the Vanguard was gone. This time there was no rebuilding process, as all members of the previous Vanguard had left students behind, trained to take their places.

And so Crescent City was introduced to the latest New Vanguard: B.A.C.U.P., Boost, Gabriel, Jade Hunter and M.A.X., and we wonder how long it will take for this team to drop the qualifier of "New" from their moniker and be accepted as true members of the oldest and most respected Augment team in North America.


Well it's not from Adventure Sourcebook - Chi-Town 'Burbs 04 - The Vanguard or Rifts - Siege on Tolkeen. I am trying to remember the other place I read about the Vanguard.
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Xar
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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Xar »

No it was probably older than the Rifts Vanguard book, and it was definitely a Super Heroes thread. It may have come from the older, pre-2000 iteration of these boards.

I realize now that I didn't post all of it, but the 2nd part indicates the timing a bit.

Spoiler:
A Brief Roll Call of Vanguard Members

Gerard Matthews - Leader of the first Vanguard 1867-1890
Phillip Carter - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1888
John "Saber" Devlin - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1876
Matthew Frost - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1910
Franklin Frost - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1900
Lt. Jack Ross - Member then Leader 1920-1939
Michael "Thinker" McQueen - Member then Leader 1937-1946
Fortify - Member 1941-1946
Semper Fi - Member 1945-1946
Slicker - Member 1941-1955
Fasten - Member then Leader 1950-1958
Brethren - Member then Leader 1957-1969
Scilent - Member then Leader 1966-1977
Swiftness - Member 1974-1977
Serial - Member then Co-Leader 1976-1982
Manic - Member then Co-Leader 1977-1989
Sketch - Member then Leader 1988-1999
Doc Creature - Member 1984-2001
MacKeen - Member 1983-2001
NeuroBlast - Member 1984-2001
Reciprocal - Member 1984-2001
Squadron - Member then Leader 1983-2001
B.A.C.U.P. - Member 2001-
Boost - Member 2001-
Gabriel - Member 2001-
Jade Hunter - Member 2001-
M.A.X. - Member 2001-
~Xar~

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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Glistam »

I don't recall such a thing. I've tried a few different searches but I've found very little in the way of results.

Word for word, I found the same write-up in the details for an RPOL game. I can't link to it directly due to my company's internet policy but I can link my search results - it was the first non-ad result.

Using that as a guide, I searched using the username of the person running that game and I found another site where that person did a write-up of a Palladium open house game that they played in. Once again, I can't link to the page but I can link to the search results.

I suspect the trail can be followed further from there, but my resources are limited here. I hope this helps.
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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Xar »

Glistam wrote:I don't recall such a thing. I've tried a few different searches but I've found very little in the way of results.

Word for word, I found the same write-up in the details for an RPOL game. I can't link to it directly due to my company's internet policy but I can link my search results - it was the first non-ad result.

Using that as a guide, I searched using the username of the person running that game and I found another site where that person did a write-up of a Palladium open house game that they played in. Once again, I can't link to the page but I can link to the search results.

I suspect the trail can be followed further from there, but my resources are limited here. I hope this helps.


Good research. Except those are both me. :) I'd like to run this on RPOL, I just wanted to give proper credit...Also, I need to bring the history up to day.

The con game was originally posted here:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=103413&p=2001050&hilit=rania#p2001050
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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Adventus »

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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Xar »

Adventus wrote:ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!!! :-D :mrgreen: :angel:

http://www.perrinworlds.com/introduction.htm


That's very cool. I'm going to enjoy reading that, but it's different. Same name, but different history.
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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Xar »

So, here's an update to the writeup.

Spoiler:
The Vanguard

In the late 1800's a group of settlers destined for a plot of land on the coast of California encountered an unusually vicious pack of enormous wolves. Riding with the settlers was a group of hardened warriors, men trained to fight and kill in the defense of their lives.

This group, five in number, fought the wolves, driving the pack off into the night. In gratitude, and with the motive of securing a defensive force, the settlers asked the gunmen to join them. With this request, the Vanguard is formed, a force that would stand the test of time and hold against all threats.

The Vanguard would be tested time and time again, in the beginning against the feared Black Pack, during their repeated attacks over the preceding 60 years. In 1920 the first recognized Augment hero joins the ranks of the Vanguard. Lieutenant Jack Ross, of the U.S. Navy, joins the team during a brutal labor conflict. Ross quells a potential riot, an impending brawl between longshoremen and Vanguard militia members. Lt. Ross eventually rose in authority within the Vanguard to become its leader.

In 1937, the next man to be recognized as leader of the Vanguard joined the team. Michael "Thinker" McQueen, young genius and technological master joined the team, assigned by the courts as a means to direct his enthusiasm and intellect into something beyond pranks and petty crime.

Thinker would be an invaluable member, equipping the team with all manner of high-tech tools. In 1939, Thinker became leader of the Vanguard in the worst possible time, when the rest of the Vanguard team was killed in the explosion of an experimental bomb aimed at the ships of the U.S. Navy. In the aftermath of the loss of the Vanguard team, Thinker announced his intention to rebuild the team and carry on the tradition of the Vanguard.

Thinker rebuilt the team and, true to his word, carried on as the Vanguard had done before. In 1946 another tragedy befell the Vanguard, as an unexplainable summer storm unleashed hundreds of hideous monsters on Crescent City, through holes in the sky. The Vanguard, now numbering more Augments than ever before, fought these monsters, trying to drive them back to where they came from.

This assault of creatures included the return of the feared Black Pack, as well as a number of winged beasts and other monsters that even now are too hideous to describe. The Vanguard fought these monsters off as valiantly as their predecessors fought the Black Pack in the past. Unfortunately, we don't know what went wrong. The monsters vanished as quickly as they appeared and apparently they took the Vanguard with them. The only member of the Vanguard to remain was Slicker, who had been injured by the Black Pack and was being tended to when the mystery storm ended.

Slicker rebuilt the team, recruiting the younger student of the missing Vanguard members, starting a tradition that continues to the most recent incarnation of the team. This new Vanguard did not have an easy time of it, trying to live up to the reputation of the team formed by "Thinker" McQueen, with Slicker trying to fill some very large shoes as leader.

After some slow starts and initial public distrust, the team went on to great feats and earned as revered a reputation as the previous team. The Vanguard dealt with the more mundane tasks of an Augment hero team; master criminals attempting to dominate the populace, villains on robbery and violence sprees and attempting to better the condition of the city.

Many Vanguard members came and went as the years passed but all of them held true to the principles of the team, the defense of Crescent City and its citizens.

In 1969, it was an entirely different team from the one the Slicker built, that was forced to face the threat of The Anarchy Plague. For 2 weeks ordinary citizens led extraordinary lives, as a wave of insanity washed over the populace. Normal men and women would display abnormal behavior, first petty arguments and violence, escalating into full-blown citywide riots. The Vanguard, unaffected by the contagious insanity, did everything they could quell the violence but in the end they were overcome, not by the madness but the maddened people. Standing as the last line of defense for the Ross Memorial Hospital, the Vanguard fell under the attack of the rampaging mob, but they were able to turn the attackers away.

Of all members, only Scilent survived. He was on the hunt for the cause of disturbance. Soon after the fall of his teammates, Scilent found and was able to stop the cause of the Plague. Scilent then inherited the mantle of leader and the task of rebuilding the team fell to him.

Scilent did an excellent job in forming the next incarnation of the Vanguard. He led his team to great victories over notorious and brutal criminals, as well as being responsible for the construction of the hidden Vanguard base and overseeing the building of the Vanguard Island Memorial Park. Scilent led his team until the onset of Typhoon Revenge, an attack by the Augment son of the scientist responsible for the deaths of the Vanguard team led by Jack Ross. During the conflict with Storm Dragon, half of the Vanguard team was sucked into the ocean and lost.

The remainder of the team, led by Scilent, worked on the shore to evacuate the citizens in the path of the incoming storm-born waves. While no citizens were killed during the storm, Scilent and Vanguard member Swiftness were lost when the waves struck. Two members of the Vanguard, Serial and Manic, were all that remained and they, like many sole Vanguard survivors before them, rebuilt the team.

Serial and Manic remained with the team, taking alternating terms as leader of the Vanguard, until the summer of 1982, when Serial, was forced to leave the team for health reasons. Manic remained, leading the team until 1989, when for reasons as yet unexplained, the entire team, excluding junior member "Sketch", vanished without a trace. Sketch became the team leader recruiting the students, sidekicks and protégés of the missing Vanguard members. To this day, 32 years later, Sketch has not explained the disappearance of his friends and colleagues. This is even more disturbing due to the repetition of the disappearances that have occurred.

Sketch's Vanguard team more than lived up to the legacy they had been left by their predecessors. They defended the city with admirable intensity for almost 12 years, turning all threats, including the notorious Plutarch, Radium, the Society of Six, WOLF terrorists and even foiling a crime spree of the Masters of Speed. Their actions in Crescent City and even their brief foray into Century Station, after Bloody Monday, stand that incarnation of the team in great stead among the ranks of Augments across the nation.

In early April of 2001, Sketch again made the fateful announcement that the Vanguard was gone. This time there was no rebuilding process, as all members of the previous Vanguard had left students behind, trained to take their places. This next Vanguard operated well as a consistent team for half a decade before tragedy of a different sort laid them low. The collateral damage resulting from a love triangle between members Dr. Shade, T.E.K., and Isis resulted in the deaths of Boost, B.A.C.U.P, and current Leader Gabriel (as well as T.E.K. and Isis) and nearly wiped out the Vanguard for good.

Jade Hunter held the remaining team together mostly by force of will, including providing emotional support to a despondent Dr. Shade. Jade Hunter would lead competently for two years, before retiring after the gruesome death of his longtime friend and teammate, M.A.X. at the hands of the alien bounty hunter, Frostbite. Man Mountain took up the mantle of leadership recruiting Crimson Rider and BombShell.

In the early weeks of 2015, Crecent City was hit with stunning news once again. While participating in a training exercise as a P/R stunt, all five active members of the Vanguard suddenly disappeared in a strange singularity. Unlike in previous tragedies, there was no survivor to carry the torch forward. Retired member Sketch, somewhat frail now and plagued with injuries sustained in the line of service, was tasked with recruiting a New Vanguard.

One can only wonder how long it will take for this team to drop the qualifier of "New" from their moniker and be accepted as true members of the oldest and most respected Augment team in North America.

A Brief Roll Call of Vanguard Members

Gerard Matthews - Leader of the first Vanguard 1867-1890
Phillip Carter - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1888
John "Saber" Devlin - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1876
Matthew Frost - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1910
Franklin Frost - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1900
Lt. Jack Ross - Member then Leader 1920-1939
Michael "Thinker" McQueen - Member then Leader 1937-1946
Fortify - Member 1941-1946
Semper Fi - Member 1945-1946
Slicker - Member 1941-1955
Fasten - Member then Leader 1950-1958
Brethren - Member then Leader 1957-1969
Scilent - Member then Leader 1966-1977
Swiftness - Member 1974-1977
Serial - Member then Co-Leader 1976-1982
Manic - Member then Co-Leader 1977-1989
Sketch - Member then Leader 1988-1999
Doc Creature - Member 1984-2001
MacKeen - Member 1983-2001
NeuroBlast - Member 1984-2001
Reciprocal - Member 1984-2001
Squadron - Member then Leader 1983-2001
B.A.C.U.P. - Member 2001-2002
Boost - Member 2001-2007
Gabriel - Member then Leader 2001-2007
Jade Hunter - Member then Leader 2001-2009
M.A.X. - Member 2001-2009
T.E.K. - Member 2006-2007
Man Mountain - Member then Leader 2006-2015
Isis - Member 2006-2007
Dr. Shade - Member 2006-2015
Blue Steele - Member 2008-2015
Crimson Rider - Member 2010- 2015
BombShell - Member 2012-2015


Now, what would you choose to be the mysterious reason why the team keeps getting wiped out?
~Xar~

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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Xar »

So, here's an update to the writeup.

Spoiler:
The Vanguard

In the late 1800's a group of settlers destined for a plot of land on the coast of California encountered an unusually vicious pack of enormous wolves. Riding with the settlers was a group of hardened warriors, men trained to fight and kill in the defense of their lives.

This group, five in number, fought the wolves, driving the pack off into the night. In gratitude, and with the motive of securing a defensive force, the settlers asked the gunmen to join them. With this request, the Vanguard is formed, a force that would stand the test of time and hold against all threats.

The Vanguard would be tested time and time again, in the beginning against the feared Black Pack, during their repeated attacks over the preceding 60 years. In 1920 the first recognized Augment hero joins the ranks of the Vanguard. Lieutenant Jack Ross, of the U.S. Navy, joins the team during a brutal labor conflict. Ross quells a potential riot, an impending brawl between longshoremen and Vanguard militia members. Lt. Ross eventually rose in authority within the Vanguard to become its leader.

In 1937, the next man to be recognized as leader of the Vanguard joined the team. Michael "Thinker" McQueen, young genius and technological master joined the team, assigned by the courts as a means to direct his enthusiasm and intellect into something beyond pranks and petty crime.

Thinker would be an invaluable member, equipping the team with all manner of high-tech tools. In 1939, Thinker became leader of the Vanguard in the worst possible time, when the rest of the Vanguard team was killed in the explosion of an experimental bomb aimed at the ships of the U.S. Navy. In the aftermath of the loss of the Vanguard team, Thinker announced his intention to rebuild the team and carry on the tradition of the Vanguard.

Thinker rebuilt the team and, true to his word, carried on as the Vanguard had done before. In 1946 another tragedy befell the Vanguard, as an unexplainable summer storm unleashed hundreds of hideous monsters on Crescent City, through holes in the sky. The Vanguard, now numbering more Augments than ever before, fought these monsters, trying to drive them back to where they came from.

This assault of creatures included the return of the feared Black Pack, as well as a number of winged beasts and other monsters that even now are too hideous to describe. The Vanguard fought these monsters off as valiantly as their predecessors fought the Black Pack in the past. Unfortunately, we don't know what went wrong. The monsters vanished as quickly as they appeared and apparently they took the Vanguard with them. The only member of the Vanguard to remain was Slicker, who had been injured by the Black Pack and was being tended to when the mystery storm ended.

Slicker rebuilt the team, recruiting the younger student of the missing Vanguard members, starting a tradition that continues to the most recent incarnation of the team. This new Vanguard did not have an easy time of it, trying to live up to the reputation of the team formed by "Thinker" McQueen, with Slicker trying to fill some very large shoes as leader.

After some slow starts and initial public distrust, the team went on to great feats and earned as revered a reputation as the previous team. The Vanguard dealt with the more mundane tasks of an Augment hero team; master criminals attempting to dominate the populace, villains on robbery and violence sprees and attempting to better the condition of the city.

Many Vanguard members came and went as the years passed but all of them held true to the principles of the team, the defense of Crescent City and its citizens.

In 1969, it was an entirely different team from the one the Slicker built, that was forced to face the threat of The Anarchy Plague. For 2 weeks ordinary citizens led extraordinary lives, as a wave of insanity washed over the populace. Normal men and women would display abnormal behavior, first petty arguments and violence, escalating into full-blown citywide riots. The Vanguard, unaffected by the contagious insanity, did everything they could quell the violence but in the end they were overcome, not by the madness but the maddened people. Standing as the last line of defense for the Ross Memorial Hospital, the Vanguard fell under the attack of the rampaging mob, but they were able to turn the attackers away.

Of all members, only Scilent survived. He was on the hunt for the cause of disturbance. Soon after the fall of his teammates, Scilent found and was able to stop the cause of the Plague. Scilent then inherited the mantle of leader and the task of rebuilding the team fell to him.

Scilent did an excellent job in forming the next incarnation of the Vanguard. He led his team to great victories over notorious and brutal criminals, as well as being responsible for the construction of the hidden Vanguard base and overseeing the building of the Vanguard Island Memorial Park. Scilent led his team until the onset of Typhoon Revenge, an attack by the Augment son of the scientist responsible for the deaths of the Vanguard team led by Jack Ross. During the conflict with Storm Dragon, half of the Vanguard team was sucked into the ocean and lost.

The remainder of the team, led by Scilent, worked on the shore to evacuate the citizens in the path of the incoming storm-born waves. While no citizens were killed during the storm, Scilent and Vanguard member Swiftness were lost when the waves struck. Two members of the Vanguard, Serial and Manic, were all that remained and they, like many sole Vanguard survivors before them, rebuilt the team.

Serial and Manic remained with the team, taking alternating terms as leader of the Vanguard, until the summer of 1982, when Serial, was forced to leave the team for health reasons. Manic remained, leading the team until 1989, when for reasons as yet unexplained, the entire team, excluding junior member "Sketch", vanished without a trace. Sketch became the team leader recruiting the students, sidekicks and protégés of the missing Vanguard members. To this day, 32 years later, Sketch has not explained the disappearance of his friends and colleagues. This is even more disturbing due to the repetition of the disappearances that have occurred.

Sketch's Vanguard team more than lived up to the legacy they had been left by their predecessors. They defended the city with admirable intensity for almost 12 years, turning all threats, including the notorious Plutarch, Radium, the Society of Six, WOLF terrorists and even foiling a crime spree of the Masters of Speed. Their actions in Crescent City and even their brief foray into Century Station, after Bloody Monday, stand that incarnation of the team in great stead among the ranks of Augments across the nation.

In early April of 2001, Sketch again made the fateful announcement that the Vanguard was gone. This time there was no rebuilding process, as all members of the previous Vanguard had left students behind, trained to take their places. This next Vanguard operated well as a consistent team for half a decade before tragedy of a different sort laid them low. The collateral damage resulting from a love triangle between members Dr. Shade, T.E.K., and Isis resulted in the deaths of Boost, B.A.C.U.P, and current Leader Gabriel (as well as T.E.K. and Isis) and nearly wiped out the Vanguard for good.

Jade Hunter held the remaining team together mostly by force of will, including providing emotional support to a despondent Dr. Shade. Jade Hunter would lead competently for two years, before retiring after the gruesome death of his longtime friend and teammate, M.A.X. at the hands of the alien bounty hunter, Frostbite. Man Mountain took up the mantle of leadership recruiting Crimson Rider and BombShell.

In the early weeks of 2015, Crecent City was hit with stunning news once again. While participating in a training exercise as a P/R stunt, all five active members of the Vanguard suddenly disappeared in a strange singularity. Unlike in previous tragedies, there was no survivor to carry the torch forward. Retired member Sketch, somewhat frail now and plagued with injuries sustained in the line of service, was tasked with recruiting a New Vanguard.

One can only wonder how long it will take for this team to drop the qualifier of "New" from their moniker and be accepted as true members of the oldest and most respected Augment team in North America.

A Brief Roll Call of Vanguard Members

Gerard Matthews - Leader of the first Vanguard 1867-1890
Phillip Carter - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1888
John "Saber" Devlin - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1876
Matthew Frost - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1910
Franklin Frost - Member of the first Vanguard 1867-1900
Lt. Jack Ross - Member then Leader 1920-1939
Michael "Thinker" McQueen - Member then Leader 1937-1946
Fortify - Member 1941-1946
Semper Fi - Member 1945-1946
Slicker - Member 1941-1955
Fasten - Member then Leader 1950-1958
Brethren - Member then Leader 1957-1969
Scilent - Member then Leader 1966-1977
Swiftness - Member 1974-1977
Serial - Member then Co-Leader 1976-1982
Manic - Member then Co-Leader 1977-1989
Sketch - Member then Leader 1988-1999
Doc Creature - Member 1984-2001
MacKeen - Member 1983-2001
NeuroBlast - Member 1984-2001
Reciprocal - Member 1984-2001
Squadron - Member then Leader 1983-2001
B.A.C.U.P. - Member 2001-2002
Boost - Member 2001-2007
Gabriel - Member then Leader 2001-2007
Jade Hunter - Member then Leader 2001-2009
M.A.X. - Member 2001-2009
T.E.K. - Member 2006-2007
Man Mountain - Member then Leader 2006-2015
Isis - Member 2006-2007
Dr. Shade - Member 2006-2015
Blue Steele - Member 2008-2015
Crimson Rider - Member 2010- 2015
BombShell - Member 2012-2015


Now, what would you choose to be the mysterious reason why the team keeps getting wiped out?
~Xar~

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Razorwing
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Re: Looking for source

Unread post by Razorwing »

To me, there is no mystery as to why the team keeps getting nearly wiped out (with only a handful of survivors to carry on the Legacy)... they keep putting themselves in harms way to deal with threats that very often require the ultimate sacrifice to stop. We see this sort of thing happen in comics a lot... though more often the team disbands after such an event where a handful of heroes make such a sacrifice. Of course this leads to the survivors coming back together when the next major threat appears.

We've seen this happen with various iterations of the X-Men, the Avengers, Justice League... and even the Fantastic Four. It's even happened in the City of Heroes MMO... the Rikti Invasion decimated most of that Earth's hero population, with only a fraction of the heroes from a given city surviving to help train a new generation.

Frankly, such shake-ups are a bit of a staple of Comics and Heroic Teams. The exact reasons for any one of the events is fairly well documented in the write up you provided. As for the unexplained disappearances of 3 teams... well... that could be a series of adventures in and of themselves. Off the top of my head, the singularity responsible for the latest disappearance sounds a lot like a dimensional rift... possibly even a temporal vortex or some sort of gateway (interstellar perhaps?). Some of these might be accidental... others deliberate (either by Vanguard or by some other power). Regardless... the truth of these past disappearances may never be learned... unless whatever caused them needs to be dealt with again (as is so often the case in most comics).
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